Boat lift service and maintenance in Islamorada

Who this is for

Every lift owner, and anyone whose lift has gone more than a year without a service.

Bay side and ocean side tides differ fourfold

NOAA's Florida Bay gauge at Upper Matecumbe Key shows a great diurnal range of only 0.61 ft, with mean higher high water about 0.41 ft below NAVD 88, while the Hawk Channel gauge a short way across the key shows 2.28 ft (1983 to 2001 epoch). A lift or floating dock sized for one side of Islamorada is wrong for the other.

The tide range decides how much of the cables and cradle sit in salt water, which drives the service schedule.[1][2]

Watch the datum: about 1.5 ft

The Village notes that converting from NGVD29 to NAVD88 shifts elevations by about -1.5 ft on average in Monroe County, and the shift varies from place to place. Old plans and new maps use different datums, so a cap or floor height has to be converted before anyone compares numbers.

Service visits include checking that motors and switches sit above likely flood levels.[3]

Covered lifts only over cut-in slips

Ordinance 24-15 allows open-sided covered boat lifts in Islamorada only over a cut-in slip on a man-made canal. The roof may not reach past the mouth of the slip or over mangroves, seagrass or hard bottom, may be no more than 12 ft above grade, and may not carry a deck.

Regular service keeps an existing lift working, which avoids the permit a replacement would need.[4]

What makes Islamorada different

Principal buildings sit 20 ft from the mean high water line on altered shorelines such as canals, 30 ft on open water with conditions, and 50 ft on unaltered shorelines. Docks, lifts, davits, seawalls and riprap are water-dependent structures that may sit inside that setback under the Village's standards.[4]

Sanctuary and manatee layers

The federal small-project permit, SPGP VI, required Sanctuary sign-off before any Islamorada project in Keys waters, and crews follow the state manatee conditions on every in-water job.[5][6]

Permits in Islamorada

• Islamorada, Village of Islands, Planning and Development Services: Docks, lifts and shoreline structures under Village Code Chapter 30.
• Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: Sanctuary waters surround every Islamorada key from the mean high water mark; we confirm what Sanctuary approval each project needs.
• Florida DEP or South Florida Water Management District: State permit or exemption; part of the Village's water is the Lignumvitae Key Aquatic Preserve.
• US Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District: Federal authorisation for work in the Sanctuary waters around the Village.

What a service visit covers

• Cables: fraying, corrosion, kinks, flattening, tension
• Pulleys and gearbox: lubrication and wear
• Sacrificial zinc anodes: replace as needed
• Motor, switch and wiring checks
• Bunks and cradle: wear and alignment

Frequently asked questions